Central Florida has used a suffocating defense to win four straight games and will need another big effort on that side of the floor to extend the streak when it hosts Alabama on Thursday night. The Knights have allowed an average of 56 points during their winning streak and limited previously-unbeaten Northern Kentucky to 32.2 percent from the field in a 66-53 win last time out on Saturday.

Boston College looks for its fourth straight win as it plays the second of a three-game homestand Thursday night against visiting Sacred Heart. The Eagles won the inaugural Fort Myers Tip-Off last week and followed that up with a 68-56 win over Minnesota as part of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge on Monday.

Senior guard Jarrey Foster's return from a mid-January knee injury seemed to lift the SMU offense on Tuesday. The Mustangs will try to repeat the performance when they host McNeese State on Thursday in the second contest of a four-game homestand.

Arizona carries a two-game losing streak into Thursday night's home game with Georgia Southern. But Wildcats coach Sean Miller believes those two losses to No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 10 Auburn last week at the Maui Invitational in Hawaii will prove to be beneficial in the long run for his rebuilding team.